It’s so annoying when you have milk which says it’s in date but has just turned. Or is a day out and tasting off. But did you know that as long as it hasn’t not separated, this just-gone off milk can be used in cooking? Which is why these Spoilt Milk One Cup Pancakes saved my sanity – and breakfast – one day.
One morning, after the kids spat out their cereal in disgust, I found myself with over a litre of milk I was loathed to throw away. But after a bit of a think about where any sour tang would work decided to give some pancakes a go. These are an American meets French style pancake, they aren’t too think and fluffy but are sturdy enough to be frozen which is what you need to do with a lot of milk to use up! They are also massively adaptable. I made a straight batch, then another portion with blueberries and a chocolate batch. You could add some raspberries, chocolate chips, raisins, grated parmesan – they are a really good vehicle for adding lots of flavours.
And of course you don’t need sour milk to make them! Fresh is just fine too!! But when you consider that a estimated 360,000 tonnes of milk is thrown away dail in the UK, it would certainly help if everyone made these pancakes… And they are just so easy, you only need a cup, no need to worry about a measuring jug or scales.
Given the milk would have been binned the pancakes cost pennies to make with the egg and flour coming in at just 30p using economy flour – which is absolutely good enough.
Spoilt Milk One Cup Pancakes
Ingredients
- One cup of milk
- One cup of self-raising flour
- One egg
- Pinch of salt
- Oil for frying
Directions
- Step 1 If you have a blender or Nurtribullet then place all ingredients into the blender at once and blend until smooth.
- Step 2 If you don’t have a blender then crack the egg into a mixing bowl and break up then add the flour, milk and salt and whisk together until smooth and lump free.
- Step 3 Add the fruit now if you are using it.
- Step 4 Place a dribble of oil in a large frying pan and heat until the oil is hot and make sure it’s present across the whole pan. Turn the heat down to medium. You will only be able to cook two or three pancakes at a time as they spread.
- Step 5 Pour ½ to ¾ of a ladle of batter towards the edge and you will see how much they spread. Space another one or two into the pan.
- Step 6 After 1 or 2 minutes you will see little bubbles on the surface of the pancake and that the edges are golden. Flip them over and the bottom should be beautifully golden. If not that side needs a bit longer.
- Step 7 When the other side is also cooked through, place on a plate and put in a low oven if you are serving them all together. No need to if not.
- Step 8 Serve with your favourite toppings! I like to freeze some for a speedy breakfast. Just stack the number you want to use as a portion in cling-film, a box, bag or foil and freeze. They can be defrosted in a few hours or just a quick 30 seconds in the microwave to separate them and lay them on a plate apart and microwave for another 30 seconds or heat in a frying pan without any oil.
- Step 9 Some ideas for additions:
- Step 10 Add ¼ to ½ cup of blueberries
- Step 11 Or
- Step 12 Remove 2 tablespoons from the flour measure and replace with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
